So according to Rule #5, there's a set limit of publications a writer can sell before being ineligible for the competition. And yet I see a lot of applicants with very long publication lists on their sites. Any explanation for this incongruity?

KD Julicher wrote:The rules are for "more than three short stories," etc, in a professional publication, ie one that pays at least 6 cents a word and has a circulation of (I think > 5000?).

A lot of people have a nice string of very reputable semi-pro publications, that is, in venues that pay less than 6 cents per word.

Just to add to KD, who is one of those people that have a great string of publication credits, you can have some nice sales, even paying SFWA's pro rate of 6 cents a word, that might be under 1000 words (flash) that don't qualify. You can have publications in anthologies and ezines that pay pro rate, but don't have 5000 hits or circulation per issue. You can even have publications that meet most of the bells and whistles, but last I remember, they also have to be in business a year before SFWA recognizes them, so they're not on SFWAs approved list yet. Finally, it's not the third sale that kicks you out, note the rules. "More than" actually means the fourth sale will kick you out. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! The rules also say "publication." So when your *fourth* sale actually appears in said SFWA recognized pro sale publication, i.e., PUBLISHED, then, as they say in baseball, YOU'RE OUT!

But you're still in. You just got a great start on your pro career! And that's what it's all about, whether you win WOTF or not.

To echo Moon... even pro-sales that look disqualifying might not be. Circulation/traffic numbers aren't exactly common knowledge, and for some of the smaller pro markets very possibly are not over that 5k threshold.

If you think you're disqualified but aren't sure, query Joni. I believe ties tend to go to the applicant in this situation.

Somebody has mentioned before that Locus publishes circulation numbers. So it's possible to check on the 5000 circulation/hits qualifier on some. But I've also heard many small publishers will not tell anyone their sales numbers, even the writers checking to see if they still qualify for contests like this, for obvious reasons. They are trying to grow. Much of business success depends on that adage "fake it until you make it." It is counterproductive to have a powerful facade making you look like a literary powerhouse, but then to tell the world you have 13 subscribers, and three of them are your parents (but you are working on your mother-in-law, and she's coming around, and will surely subscribe, because she's not telling your wife to divorce you anymore for quitting your day job).